AnswersCA-English Language Arts 12 B – 1744Contemporary Poetry: Seamus Heaney’s “Digging”

Contemporary Poetry: Seamus Heaney’s “Digging” Answers

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Read the excerpt from "Digging."The coarse boot nestled on the lug, the shaft Against the inside knee was levered firmly.

A
It directs the reader’s attention back to the squat pen.
B
It suggests that the spade is too heavy for the father.
C
It emphasizes the speaker’s distaste for hard work.
D
It shows that the father works with skill and control.
2
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Read the excerpt from "Digging."The cold smell of potato mould, the squelch and slapOf soggy peat, the curt cuts of an edgeThrough living roots awaken in my head.But I’ve no spade to follow men like them.

A
leisure time
B
city life
C
writing poems
D
hard work
3

Read the excerpt from "Digging."The cold smell of potato mould, the squelch and slapOf soggy peat, the curt cuts of an edgeThrough living roots awaken in my head.But I’ve no spade to follow men like them.

A
cold, curt, cuts
B
potato, mould, follow
C
peat, edge, living
D
edge, head, them
4

Read the excerpt from "Digging."The coarse boot nestled on the lug, the shaft Against the inside knee was levered firmly.He rooted out tall tops, buried the bright edge deepTo scatter new potatoes that we picked,Loving their cool hardness in our hands.Read the haiku by Bashō. Early fall—the sea and the rice fields all one green.Which sentence best explains the similarities between the excerpt from "Digging” and the haiku?

A
Both are concerned with the topic of writing.
B
Both are concerned with the topic of seasons.
C
Both are concerned with the topic of farming.
D
Both are concerned with the topic of working.
5

Read the excerpt from "Digging."Between my finger and my thumb The squat pen rests; snug as a gun.

A
The positive connotation of the word does not clarify whether the writer enjoys holding his pen.
B
The negative connotation of the word highlights the idea that writing is a difficult profession.
C
The positive connotation of the word emphasizes how comfortable the speaker is holding his pen.
D
The negative connotation of the word shows how unpleasant the speaker finds the pen.
6

Read the excerpt from "Digging."The cold smell of potato mould, the squelch and slapOf soggy peat, the curt cuts of an edgeThrough living roots awaken in my head.

A
The alliteration makes the poem sound disjointed and choppy.
B
The alliteration disconnects the speaker from the earth.
C
The alliteration creates pleasing and interesting sounds.
D
The alliteration shows that the speaker is a poet.
7

Read the excerpt from "Digging"The cold smell of potato mould, the squelch and slapOf soggy peat, the curt cuts of an edgeThrough living roots awaken in my head.But I’ve no spade to follow men like them.Between my finger and my thumbThe squat pen rests.I’ll dig with it.Read the haiku by Bashō. When the winter chrysanthemums go,there’s nothing to write about but radishes.What common concern do these poems share?

A
Both poems recognize the passing of seasons.
B
Both poems find a link between farming and the act of writing.
C
Both poems put a higher value on farming than writing.
D
Both poems lament the dying of flowers and other vegetation.
8

Read the excerpt from "Digging."Under my window, a clean rasping soundWhen the spade sinks into gravelly ground:My father, digging. I look downRead the haiku by Bashō. Clear water—a tiny crab crawling up my leg.Which statement best describes the similarities between the excerpt from "Digging” and the haiku?

A
Both use alliteration to connect ideas and create interesting sounds.
B
Both are disjointed by the sound devices used by the poets.
C
Both explore the topic of farming.
D
Both shift from the present time to the past.
9

Which lines from the poem "Digging” use assonance? Check all that apply.

A
The squat pen rests; snug as a gun.
B
When the spade sinks into gravelly ground:
C
Bends low, comes up twenty years away
D
By God, the old man could handle a spade.
E
Nicking and slicing neatly, heaving sods
10

Read the excerpt from "Digging."Till his straining rump among the flowerbedsBends low, comes up twenty years awayStooping in rhythm through potato drillsWhere he was digging.

A
It emphasizes that working in fields is difficult and strenuous.
B
It draws attention to the speaker’s connection to the field.
C
It suggests that the father does not want to plant new potatoes.
D
It reveals that potatoes were the main crop of Ireland.
11

Read the excerpt from "Digging."Till his straining rump among the flowerbedsBends low, comes up twenty years awayStooping in rhythm through potato drillsWhere he was digging.

A
that the work in the flowerbeds is quick and easy
B
that the father is working very hard in the flowerbeds
C
that the father passed away 20 years ago
D
that the father finds the digging enjoyable

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